NEW BEDFORD — For Sky Bento — aka Swych — 3rd Eye Unlimited is all about the "preservation" of hip-hop culture.

"A lot of people love the music and don't get too much into the culture, where it comes from, what it all stands for, the history of it," said the 19-year-old rapper. "But 3rd Eye is hip-hop culture — we are trying to embody what the forefathers of this long-running culture."

Youth from around the city and beyond gathered Saturday at the Andrea McCoy Recreation Center for Winter Jam, a dance competition hosted by the New Bedford nonprofit 3rd Eye.

Director Jennifer DeBarros said the event is a kickoff leading up to the Summer Jam, the 15th annual hip-hop festival tentatively scheduled for July 19 at Buttonwood Park. "It gives them a sense of identity and belonging to connect to something outside of themselves," DeBarros said, hip-hop beats pounding in the gymnasium. "It gives them the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zones and share a piece of themselves."

More than anything, she said, it gives the kids a voice. "There's not a lot of people asking youth what they think or what they feel. So I think that's what this is about, giving them the platform to be who they are."